Tattered Trainers
by TryingToFindTime
Summary: At Goldenrod High School, Silver has an infamous and killer reputation. They say that he's heartless, bitter, and dangerous. He'd walk all over you if you let him. Or would he? This SoulSilverShipping story is a manga/game hybrid-mesh of fluff and affection. You have been warned.
1. Prologue

"It's not that he's psycho… he just isn't, _well_."

The young freshmen sat up in his seat at the lunch table, intrigued, but confused. His new friends weren't doing a very good job of explaining why interacting with the young man was so wrong.

"It's like this, freshie;" Green had spoken up at once, attempting to make sense of Gold's broken explanation, "Silver is just, a very mad person. He has his own reasons, I'm sure. But it's best if you just ignore him. Don't go off like that again." _Go off like that again?_ The boy thought to himself. _I was only trying to be friendly._

"Yeah, you had us worried there for a second. Silver doesn't really like kids." Gold let out a chuckle. The young boy, new to the campus, scrunched up his nose slightly in annoyance. Did they really see him as that young?

"Hey guys! What's up?" The trio looked to their right, and noticed a tall girl of about 16, with long blue hair that was done on the sides like braids. She came towards them with eagerness, and Green, whose attention was now off the boy, turned to face her. "Nothing much. Just showing the 'fresh meat' around." She let out a small laugh. The boy, who resented that statement, did not.

"So," She began, "What were you guys talking about?" Gold, who couldn't help but pick on her, grinned, and promptly replied; "Your pussy."

The girl, of course combated this comment with a series of blows to the back of Gold's head. "Oh, come on Crys! Can't you take a joke?" Shouted Gold as he rubbed his aching skull. Crystal just turned her attention towards the new student. "Can you give me the correct answer, by any chance?"

Green spoke up once more, stating that Silver was the topic of the discussion. "Ugh! Not that monster!" Gold, who had been listening in, began emitting a series of mock coos, "Aw, is whittle Crystal afraid of big bad Silver?"

Crystal, who was now annoyed, decided to set the record straight with the freshman. "That boy is a complete demon!"

The new student, still not getting it, cocked his head slightly to the side in confusion. Complete demon? Monster? I don't see why she hates him so much.

"Ah, don't listen to her kiddo. She sort of deserved it." Said Gold. Crystal was ready to unleash hell upon him, had Green not stepped into the situation. "So, he lit your hair on fire once, big deal." Green couldn't help but laugh when he recalled the day the hothead committed his crime against her.

On the very first day of their freshman year, Green, Gold, and Crystal, (who had just met at the time), noticed him sitting by himself in that very lunchroom. Crystal, who was feeling flirtatious towards the young man at the time, brought herself over to his table and introduced herself.

Throughout the entire lunch period, Crystal bombarded Silver with inquiries about his life, his style, and views. Silver, who did not want to be bothered, answered none of these questions. A minute or so before the bell was to ring, Crystal paused her one-sided conversation just long enough for Silver to ask her a question;

"Do you like fire?"  
"….um, not really."

"Sucks to be you right now."

The rest went down in Goldenrod High School history.

The boy was all at once frightened by the thought of going near Silver. He had seemed so harmless! The freshman rotated in his seat to face Silver's now empty table.

Crystal, who was now very annoyed, proceeded to bring down her wrath upon Gold and Green, who still couldn't stop laughing.

"Come on Crys! It's your fault and ya'know it!" Said Gold, who was now clutching his sides from his hard chackling. Green had calmed down, but couldn't help rubbing salt in Crystal's wounds.  
"If you had left him be, he probably wouldn't have gone postal on you."

_True enough_, thought Crystal, "But that doesn't give him the right to do that to anyone!"

Just at that moment, the bell had rung. The four teens gathered their belongings and stood up from the table. Other students quickly filed out of the café, rushing to their next class.

The group split from the boy when they reached the hallway. "Stay safe kid!" said Green.

"Don't get run over in the hallway!" Gold added, laughing at his own joke.

Crystal, who rolled her eyes, patted the boy's shoulder and said; "See ya'later!" and with that, they were gone.

They didn't know that the boy had no intentions of staying here for the rest of the year. After all, with a guy like Silver around, how could anyone ever feel safe?


	2. Sinister, Sheltering Hands

Kotone made her way down the street, her pace uneven. She couldn't help but feel nervous, and it showed in the way that she walked; treading with angst until she would suddenly speed up, as though to leave unpleasant thoughts behind.

Not being the type to go outside often, a simple errand for her mother allowed her a golden opportunity: To get herself hopelessly lost in a neighborhood she was unfamiliar with.

The sky was overcast, and the air was moist. Kotone could tell that it would rain soon, so she began to hurry along the dimly lit, narrow city street.

She was very small for her age, petite, even. She was at least a foot shorter than the average fourteen year old. Her face was lovely, with gentle, brown eyes and chestnut-colored hair that was done in pigtails. She wore a baggy red jacket, and a pair of jean shorts with white stockings underneath. She had no makeup on, giving her face a clean and healthy look.

Kotone continued along the dirty, cracked sidewalk, trying to find something that looked familiar, something that would lead her back home. She was having no such luck, and she was beginning to regret letting her mother talk her into going to the store.

Now, don't get the girl wrong, she didn't dislike going outside. She just didn't always feel comfortable with doing things her mother's way. After all, if her mother's way meet being cooped up in the same house all day for almost ten years of her life… well, admit it. You probably wouldn't want to take her advice either.

It was getting darker now, and she could hear thunder. Kotone began to wonder what to do next. In her haste, she had left her phone at home, and so far she hadn't met a single person who was willing to (Or could), give her directions to her neighborhood. And if things were bad now, it was about to get a lot worse.

Kotone was so caught up in her dilemma, that she failed to notice a trio of older men wearing matching leather jackets across the street, watching her every move. Now, these three were that funny type of bunch that sit on the doorstep in broad daylight, drinking alcohol, and talking smack from a distance to passersby. Usually. But on an empty street in the dead of night, with all the booze gone…

Well, they had all at once decided to be become more…friendly.

Silver Mason was having a piss-poor day. As usual.

It was bad enough that he had gotten a two hour detention with his least favorite staff member, but now it was starting to rain on his way home!

"What a pain in the ass." Silver said quietly to himself.

He wasn't a stranger to roughness. The seventeen year old was well built, with strong limbs and muscle to spare. And he knew how to use it, to. The boy had several scars on his arms, all from fights. (They were always hidden, though.)

With this and his foul temper, blazing red hair that grew to the nape of his neck, and pricing grey eyes, it's no wonder that people often avoid him.

He wore his black & red jacket and long jeans today, his only accessory a small gold locket, one that he kept hidden at all times.

Passing by a series of apartment buildings, he noticed an alleyway at the end of the empty street. Upon reaching it, he noticed a small, rusty piece of sheet metal towards the back of the alley. It was balancing on two posts, and it seemed like that perfect place to get out of the rain.

Silver knew that no one was likely to be home now, or tomorrow for that matter. Why not rest until the pouring stops? He walked down the alley and under the steel 'canopy'. He allowed his book bag to slide down his arm and unto the dry patch of concrete. He sat on the ground and rested his head on his hand, thinking to himself.

Silver was always a thinker. The only trouble is that he never uses it for the right reasons. Instead of using his vast intellect it talk his way out of trouble; he just lashes out with no rhyme or reason.

At least, that's what everybody said about him.

Suddenly, Silver heard the swift tapping of feet on the wet sidewalk; he opened his eyes and listened intently to the footfall. It sounded like they were tiring, because the rhythm of the footsteps was rushed and uneven. Silver saw a small figure stumble in front of the alley, stop, and then collapse onto the ground. Through the rain he saw that the person was breathing heavily.

At first, he did nothing. But better judgment got to him eventually, and he made his way over to the motionless body. When he was close enough, Silver saw that it was a young girl, probably no older than fourteen or fifteen. He bent down for a closer look, and made out her appearance completely.

The first thing he noticed was that her face was very red, no doubt from both tears and exhaustion. She wore a red jacket, but it was falling apart at the seams. Under her shorts was a pair of slightly ripped white stockings. Silver saw a small trickle of blood running down her arm. Carefully, he lifted the shreds of her jacket to revel a series of small cuts, and he could tell from the wounds that that they were caused by a rouge knife.

The girl continued to breathe heavily, too tired to notice Silver's presence over her. Her eyes quivered from time to time, releasing a series of fresh tears down the side of her face. An occasional cry of misery would creep out of her mouth, and she would sniff and try to choke back sobs. Right then and there, Silver felt something that he thought he would never feel again: Pity for someone else.

So of course, it only seemed natural to scoop her into his arms and carry her out of the rain. He did so, and set her down beside him. She was shivering violently, so he took off his jacket and put it around the girl, not bothering to take off what was left of hers. When that didn't work, he brought himself to place her in his lap. Silver was embarrassed, but he would do it as long as no one else was around.

"Mother fucker…" He couldn't help but feel angst about this whole situation. What was he going to do when she was awake? 'I haven't seen her at classes', he thought, 'but she'd probably still scream if she woke up in my arms.'

Silver felt her move in his lap. _Uh oh._ She slowly opened her eyes, which were still puffy from her crying. Silver said nothing. He only waited for her to notice him. It would be all over then.

Her eyes wondered upward.

The two made eye contact.

He attempted to soften his look, but it didn't work. She stared at him with her big brown eyes, shivering every now and again, but never taking her gaze away from his. Suddenly, she began to tear up again, and Silver sighed lowly. _Why wouldn't she cry? Out of the frying pan and into the fire, RIGHT?_

Just as Silver felt like losing his mind, he felt her press into him.

Silver didn't know what to make of it. In the past three hours, he had had detention, got completely soaked, and saved a freezing girl…

And now he found himself holding her in his arms. She had fallen asleep after sobbing uncontrollably into his chest for about ten minutes.

He looked down at her while he patted her shoulder. "Just what the hell am I supposed to do about this? I'm not a shrink, right?" He mused to no one in particular. "I can't stay here with you all night, and you won't even talk to me."

The girl was now sleeping soundly, curled up against him. Her face was calm and serene. She looked almost doll-like. Silver couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't afraid of him. Even more so, Silver wondered why he even cared if she was.

He carefully tightened his grip around her as she slept quietly in his lap. "God. You're so little." He rubbed his thumb gently across her cheek. "So fragile."

Silver stopped moving, and it seemed as though the entire world stood still.

_Someone could break you…_

"I believe you have something of ours, kid."

Silver looked up with a start. He saw three older guys, standing directly in front of him, all grinning devilishly.

The one in the middle spoke up as he brought out his switchblade.

"You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you."


	3. Fallen Angel's Gratitude

Silver stared up at the trio, a realization hitting him. His eyes wondered to the obvious leader's blade, which the man grasped in his left hand tightly. Through the pale moonlight, he saw that it was coated in a thin layer of bright red blood. It only took Silver a moment to realize that it had been used on the girl, and he widened his eyes.

The leader of the three grinned as he saw this, and he rubbed the somewhat dried blood off of the weapon with his thumb. Chuckling lowly, he looked Silver dead in the eye as he pointed the knife right at him. Silver immediately stiffened as the sharp edge of the blade was thrust into his face. The man had pale green eyes, and dirty-blonde hair that spiked up a bit. His face was tanned, small, cut-like areas on his face proved to be dark scars.

His grin widened as he looked into Silver's grey, worried eyes. "I can see that this is a done deal, so how about handing over sweetness there?"

Silver tensed up. _That's right…_ He looked down at the girl, who was still sleeping soundly. She looked entirely peaceful, without a single twitch present on her lovely face.

_She looks like an angel… _

The leader, now growing very irritated; thrust the switchblade a ways underneath Silver's chin. "Is there a problem with our request, boy?"

Silver felt every muscle in his body tighten. His mind began to race as he held the girl in his arms. Even though he had been in fights before, none of his opponents had been able to get a blade close enough to his throat to pin him. It was a desperate situation.

Silver's thoughts raced through his mind, and he couldn't seem to concentrate on one thing. He couldn't show his fear to his attackers, or it would only make things worse. His face was dripping with sweat, and if it hadn't been for the rain; not a soul would have been able to tell. On the outside, the boy was a pillar of brutality, but on the inside, Silver couldn't even keep his head on his shoulders. _God damn it.._ Silver was lost. He breathed inward sharply, _What the hell do I do?_

Suddenly, Silver felt the girl move slightly in his lap. He was instantly aware again as she cooed in her sleep softly. He shut his eyes tightly.

The men were getting impatient. The green-eyed leader growled, and brought his hand backward. Bringing it forward, he spat; "Move damn you!" and aimed the blade at Silver's throat.

Silver's eyes snapped open, and with one swift move of his hand, he caught the man's wrist, and stopped him dead in his tracks.

The leader froze as he looked into the boy's now furious glare. Silver tightened his viselike grip on the man's wrist. "You know," Silver began in a ferocious tone, "I've been here all evening because of you." Silver jerked his grip towards the wall behind him, and head-butted the man as he fell his way. Letting go at just the right moment, his attacker fell onto the pavement, dropping the switchblade as he went.

The other two men were stunned. They didn't even flinch as Silver carefully lifted the girl off of his lap, and gently leaned her against the wall. The leader, who had begun to grasp his now bleeding head in pain, muttered meekly, "K k kill h him.."

With this they dashed forward, blades aimed for the jugular. The first attack was easily dodged by Silver, who countered each and every one with swift punches to the chest, arms, and shoulders. One of the men became very agitated with this, and began to blindly slash at every part of Silver, roaring like a madman. When this proved un successful, he brought his knife forward in a stabbing motion. Silver caught his arm, and clocked him straight in the jaw. A sickening crack was heard, and the man fell to the ground, twitching and moaning.

The second man, now frightened out of his mind, ran out of the alley, crying out. Silver turned his attention to the leader, who was now on his knees, and making his way towards the girl. Silver growled, and brought his foot to the man's ribcage, pinning him down. "No you don't you bastard."

The man shook, tearing up pathetically. "P please….. w w wa wait. I'm sorry! I won't-"

"Do you think that bullshit is gonna work on me?"

The man whimpered. Silver turned his attention to the girl again, who was amazingly still asleep. Turning back to the leader, Silver let out a crescendo like snarl and jammed his foot into the helpless criminal's chest. When the leader tried to cry out, Silver kicked him in the face. "You die, when she wakes up." He repeated this process over and over again. After breaking his nose, and snapping at least two ribs, he relaxed his leg and released him.

"Get out of my sight."

With what little strength he had, the leader slowly started to crawl out of the alley, whining and whimpering as he went. Silver watched him through the rain until he at last was out of his vision. "Weakling." He muttered.

Silver stood there, staring into the ground with a blank expression on his face. He was still shaking with rage, and breathing heavily. He paused and looked up at the sky to see that it had stopped raining. With the thugs gone, and the rainfall ceasing, he began to calm himself. His breathing slowed, his muscles relaxed, and his eyes shut themselves. The rain soon stopped, and finally, all was quiet.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a gasp from behind him. Looking back, he noticed that the girl was now awake, shaking with fright. Silver gulped. Slowly, ever so carefully, he made his way towards her. In an effort to comfort her, he reached out to pet her head. She recoiled from his hand and shut her eyes, whimpering softly.

Silver's heart sank. He stood there, hand in midair.

He turned around and walked straight out of the alley, not bothering to look back.

Silver tread down the street slowly. His head was down, staring at the old sidewalk.

His feet felt as though they were made of lead, and it was almost as though his arms were carrying weights, because they refused to move his side.

He hated it. He didn't understand it. He didn't believe it.

He couldn't figure out why his heart was breaking the way it was. "Stupid, ungrateful…"

Silver stopped. He couldn't move. He just felt so frustrated with that girl. And angry. And hateful.

He grit his teeth, grinding them together with every minute passing by.

He hated her. He hated her. He hated… her.

Silver suddenly began to quiver in his place, his head down even lower. Eyes shut tight. Breathing uneven.

He…longed for her.

Silver stopped breathing as a single, minuscule tear slid down his face. It was so small; you would almost swear that it wasn't there. But it was.

Franticly, he wiped it away, now angry at himself. Crying was for the weak. It never solved anything. And to cry over such a stupid reason! Well, for Silver, it was almost unforgivable. His head snapped forward and he started to kick everything and anything that was in sight. He kicked boxes, cans, bottles, metal scrap, and anything else that he passed. He needed to let off steam.

Minutes passed. Ten minutes, fifteen, thirty.

He shouted at everything he kicked, with each enraged roar becoming louder as his kicks grew more powerful. He paused once, before kicking a wooden crate once more with all the power he could muster. At last, Silver stopped, unclenching his fists.

As he began to calm down, his shoulders sinking, he heard something rustle behind him. Not bothering to turn his head, he continued to stare at the ground.

"Excuse me…" said a small, meek voice.

Silver faced the source of the voice, growling as he did so. He came to a complete halt when he saw who was there.

The girl stood at the far end of the sidewalk, a sad look plastered on her face. Her gaze was shifting back and forth between Silver and the ground. It was as though she had something important to say, but could not bring herself to form the words.

Even in the embrace of relief, Silver found a way to express some form of resentment towards the girl. It was all he knew, after all. Resentment, hatred, rejection...

Twisting his expression into one of bitterness, he began to mock her. "What's the matter, you brat? Aren't you going run away? Hmm?" The girl said nothing, and kept her head down.

There was a great deal of silence. The time tore away at them as the young man somehow managed to keep his fixation on the girl.

At last, Silver couldn't bare it any longer. "WELL?" He spat, the words full of malice.

She cringed, and her head dropped down.

"What the fuck do you wan-"

Silver froze as he watched her run towards him, and then proceed to bury her head in his neck.

She embraced him, her arms tight. He didn't move.

Silver was shocked, and he didn't know how to handle the situation at all. It was as though the entire world had stopped moving. Like the trains halted, like the insects had stopped buzzing, like every person on the planet hadn't uttered a word; it went on for what felt like hours.

Slowly, with great hesitation, Silver allowed his arms to creep up and embrace her back. He felt his face grow warmer, and he knew that he was probably blushing heavily, but as each second passed, he felt himself care about it less and less.

The two eventually had to pull away, however, and Silver found himself staring into her also blushing face.

Their gazes met. She looked up at him with her beautiful, gentle brown eyes. She was completely calm. He stared back at her, his look softer than it had ever been before. Looking into her face, he felt , (for the first time in years,) totally at ease. She was so sweet, so innocent. He felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest.

Together, as though being puppeteered by the same hand, they pulled towards each other. It was slow, and there was much hesitation shown by both parties.

As their noses began to touch, they paused.

The tension grew as they started closing their eyes.

And then, at long last, his lips touched hers, and they melted into a sweet kiss.

It went on for minutes. Softly kissing, and then, they pulled away.

At some time, she smiled, looking up at him with fondness.

After the moment they had just shared, Silver couldn't help be smile too.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

**Oh mah Geebus... It feels good to FINALLY be on this site. To those who read this... Any feedback is good feedback! That's my motto! :3**

**Please read and review, your input matters! Especially since I'm literally making this story up as I go along…^^'**


	4. Brand New Perspective

"Jun, get back here with my soda!"

The blonde, bright-eyed boy in question sprinted down the main hallway, and into the lunchroom. He erupted into a laughing fit with the stolen cola in hand, Gold in hot pursuit. Jun struggled to keep the beverage from spilling on the front of his shirt as Gold attempted to recapture his drink.

Gold dropped his jaw and released something similar to a roar. "Give it back, you crazy bastard!"

Jun, still highly amused with his game of keep-away, replied, "You're too slow!" laughing all the while like some deranged psycho. The chase continued this way, Gold huffing and demanding, Jun refusing and avoiding, and the two dashed about the tables with outstretched arms.

While the two moronic teenagers had found their way out the lunchroom, and into the courtyard, Green had been watching the situation escalate with bored, sleepy eyes.

"What are they up to this time?" Green shifted his eyes as he heard a voice to his right. Crystal.

"Being idiots," He said, "as usual." Crystal resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she sat down next to him. She knew that Green acted the exact same way at times.

Meanwhile, Gold had finally managed to corner Jun in the empty locker bay.

"Wow! Really want this soda, Goldie?" Jun teased.

"Just hand it over you big loon!" Gold was growing increasingly impatient with the hyperactive thief.

Jun smirked. Raising his index finger to the soda can, he flicked the side of it, allowing the clinging sound to echo slightly.

"Know what that sound means, Gold?" Gold said nothing, but flashed a confused glare.

Jun brought the can to the level of his eyes, and turned it upside down. " ."

And with that Gold brought himself down upon Jun in a seething rage.

* * *

Silver stalked through the halls of the school, eyes pointed low. No one else was around, not that he would've cared. He was too deep in thought to be concerned about something so trivial.

He couldn't stop thinking about that girl.

The one that cried into his shirt, and wrapped her arms around him. The one that seemed to plead for protection.

The one that he kissed.

Silver didn't understand what he was feeling. He just knew that he wanted to meet her again. That night, when he saved her, he had walked her home. But she seemed so tired, so Silver lead her inside the house right away. Somehow, he left without asking for her name.

Silver laughed to himself. _How funny_, He pondered, _We don't even know each other's names._

He couldn't help but remember her smile the most. It had seemed so warm and inviting, like she had been smiling just for him. In a way, maybe she had been.

He was inside the locker bay now, watching a squabble without interest. He didn't even hear what they were saying. He didn't care.

Silver recalled the memory of their kiss with fondness. Her lips had been so soft and gentle. It had made him so happy. Silver smiled shamelessly, and walked out of the locker bay.

* * *

Crystal and Green chatted at their table, not really invested about any topic of conversation that they had come up with. As annoying as he was, they wished that Gold was there. A conversation between Gold and Green were never boring.

"Where is that idiot?" Crystal moaned.

"Still hounding after Jun, I guess." Green said with a shrug. He picked up a textbook from his pack and began scanning through the pages.

"My," Crystal stated, "it IS boring here." chuckling.

Without warning, Gold had come crashing through the double doors of the lunchroom, and began rocketing himself towards their table.

After arriving at their click, Gold found himself hunched over, and gasping for breath. He regained himself soon, however, and started grinning ear to ear.

"You're not gonna believe what I just saw!"

* * *

Silver sat in his final period class seat, waiting impatiently for the bell to ring. That girl had been dancing in his mind all day, her radiant face and pale skin, and those big brown eyes…

He didn't understand why, but somehow he knew that he needed to see her again today.

Somehow…

"Mr. Mason."

Silver shook his head and faced his teacher; Mr. Ton. He inwardly groaned, for it was that last person that he wanted to talk to today.

"I will implore you, Mr. Mason, to be more mindful of my class, and daydream on your own time." The gruff man bellowed. "If you continue to stare at my clock, I'll hold you in for detention again."

Silver said nothing but was outraged. He might be held in for something like that? _Fuck this teacher!_

Mr. Ton treads away from him, continuing his lecture. Silver silently begged to anything that would listen.

_I need to see her…_

* * *

Kotone looked at her living room clock with unease. It was 3:45. Her homeschooling with her mother had stopped an hour ago, and now she was eager to have the house to herself.

_She's supposed to leave at 3:30, what is she doing?_ She thought hastily.

Kotone sat down in one of the armchairs, allowing her chin to rest on her hand. She had been scolded by her mother frequently today for daydreaming, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't stop thinking about him.

She blushed recalling their time together. The way he had sheltered her with his arms, protected her from danger, embraced her, every memory made her warm inside. He had made her feel so safe.

Her mother came into the room, ready to go out for her evening jog. Catching Kotone daydreaming once again, she eyed her with worry. "Sweetheart, your head has been in the clouds all day. What's the matter?"

Kotone jumped in her seat at the sound of her mother's voice, meeting her concerned gaze.

"Hmm? Nothing's wrong."

Her mother sighed. "That's good. Well, I'm off!" Her mother was about to leave, when suddenly she turned heel and went back into the kitchen. She came back with a small purse. "Here," she said, tossing it at her daughter, "I found this today. I thought you might want it."

With that, she was out the door. Kotone opened the bag and looked inside. There was a small palm mirror, a hairbrush, and a few hair ties. All things that she already had. "What mother wants me to do with this, I don't know." Said Kotone out loud, rolling her eyes.

Before she knew it, she was thinking about that boy again. As she dozed off in her chair, Kotone remembered their kiss. It had been so wonderful for her… soft, gentle, sweet. Even so, she didn't fully understand why her heart ached for him this way. She didn't even know his name.

_Please, just let me see him again, just once more…_

Kotone jumped again at the sound of the bell. Shaking her head once, she went to answer the door, the purse still in her hands.

She unlocked the set of triple locks on the door and slowly swung it open.

She almost jumped a third time when she saw who was there.

* * *

Silver's heart skipped a beat when he saw her open the door for him. It had taken a while to find the house, seeing as how it was dark the last time he came here, but it would be worth it to see her again.

She gasped quietly, and her brown eyes widened slightly. He didn't say anything, he was too afraid to.

The girl parted her lips, as though she wanted to speak but was unable to as well.

It went on like this in silence for minutes, until Silver thought he might go mad. He jabbed out his arm and recoiled. "I…uh…"

Silver froze when he noticed the girl suddenly smiled at him. She gently took his outstretched hand in hers and grasped it lovingly.

Silver regained himself as she began to speak. "I… don't think that we've introduced ourselves yet." She said.

Calm and collected once more, Silver grasped her hand tightly. She proceeded with her introduction, despite his nervousness.

"My name is Kotone…" She gasped, avoiding his eyes.

Silver stopped breathing. At last, he knew her name. And it was so beautiful that he almost couldn't stand it.

"Kotone…" He whispered. "Mine is…Silver."

Kotone hushed. "Silver…"

* * *

Silver and Kotone had been sitting together on the front lawn for quite some time. Silver would ask her about her wounds, which Kotone said were doing much better. Kotone would ask him about his school, which Silver described as being distasteful.

They talked about things that were safe. Things like hobbies, or things that they did often.

Eventually, it seemed like they had run out of things to say. For at least five minutes, they lay on the lawn without a single exchange of words.

At last Kotone seemed to reach her limit. "You don't… have to stay here…" Silver jerked his head to the side to face her. She seemed so forlorn. "If you don't… want to."

She turned to face him when she felt his hand grab hers. His eyes seemed keen on holding onto hers. "What is it?" She asked.

In barely a whisper, he tried to say something. When she repeated her question, he had found himself lost in her eyes again. "You keep staring at me…"

After gathering the courage, he managed to speak.

"Your eyes… are really pretty."

Kotone smiled softly. "You think so?"

Silver stretched up, looking away from her happy stare. He didn't say anything to her.

"Because I like yours more."

He turned his attention back to her now, hopeful, but confused. "Huh?"

"They're just so… perfect for you." Kotone smiled warmly at him.

This made Silver slightly annoyed. His eyes were dim, as though devoid of sympathy. They were lifeless unless he was glaring. Nothing but a pair of dull, grey orbs. In a word, they were boring. _Little smartass…_

Raising an eyebrow, he took her hat and pulled it right over her eyes. "There," he spoke, "now you don't have to look at them." He turned his back to her in a somewhat apathetic manner.

Kotone wasn't fazed. She allowed the hat to fall to the ground and inched her way back towards him. When she was beside him, she took his chin in her hand and brought it sideways to face her again.

"I really do like them, Silver. Look…" She brought out a small palm mirror from her mother's bag and opened it. Silver peered down at his own image, disgusted by what he saw.

Kotone was hopeful. "See?"

"See what?" Silver asked with dejection.

"Your eyes!" She squeaked. "Don't you like them, too?"

Silver could only frown. Kotone seemed disappointed, but it didn't halt her optimism. She lifted her gaze from the tiny mirror and looked into Silver's eyes again. Smiling, she began, "Well, I love your eyes."

Silver turned to her, meeting her with his full attention. "Why's that?" He asked her.

Kotone smiled wider. "Because they're nice to look at," she paused, softening her grin and locking stares with him. "They're such a pretty silver color. It's befitting!"

Silver couldn't believe what he was hearing. Silver-color? Befitting? She must be crazy. The thought made him chuckle a bit. "Eyes aren't silver." He corrected, "Eyes are brown, hazel, blue, green, grey, even purple, but not silver." The teen spoke to her as though she was a child who couldn't understand a concept well. "Mine are grey."

Kotone shook her head. "Well, I say that they're silver, Silver." She winked and stuck out her tongue playfully. Silver raised an eyebrow, "Oh, so I suppose everyone else I've met was wrong, hmm?"

Kotone smiled warmly. It sent shivers down Silver's spine. She placed her petite hands over Silver's larger, rougher ones. As she inched her way towards him, she looked into his face, smiling that angelic smile of hers. Sliver felt like his heart might stop. With a gentle sigh, Kotone spoke.

"Maybe everyone else could use a change of perspective."

**M'kay, so APPARENTLY I have to re-insert the transitional lines when I copy-paste the chapters into the documents. Just gonna type in a series of dashes here… Annnnnnnd it's gone. -_-**

**And now my other chapters look stupid. Joy.**

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**LOOK , I'M TRANSITIONING. HAHA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

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**Anyway, thank you for those that reviewed! Infact, thank you if you didn't review, too. :3 Till' next time~**


	5. Three Little Stalkers

_"Smiling?"_

_Gold nodded enthusiastically, his baseball cap moving slightly as he did so. "Yup," Gold replied, "Ear-to-ear grinning, I saw it with my own eyes!" _

_Green and Crystal didn't seem to be on the same wavelength at this point. Green was ready to shoo away Gold's observation as unimportant, or just downright fibbing. Crystal on the other hand, grew somewhat nervous, and made this apparent by shifting her weight in her chair._

_Green wasn't fazed by such a statement. "Gold, doesn't a guy have a right to smile?"_

_Gold pounded his hands on the table and countered. "But Silver NEVER cracks a smile! EVER." Gold raved on, "Why would he smile, now?"_

_"Gee, maybe he's thinking about how fun it would be to cut you up." He answered sarcastically. _

_ONE WEEK LATER_

* * *

Such is how the rumor of Silver scheming murder came into the halls of Goldenrod High School.

It was evening as the bell had just excused the students, a Friday, to be exact, that the trio found themselves discussing such a travesty once again. Gold came out of the courtyard, ears filled with gossip. As much as he loved it, he knew that it wasn't true. That's never any fun for him.

Spotting Green on a wall, he approached him stiffly. Parking himself on the same wall, he started to muse.

"Well, Green," Began Gold in a matter-of-factly tone, "I hope you are happy."

Green wasn't pleased to have his thoughts interrupted, but he was even more irritated to be accused.

"Oh come on! How was I supposed to know that that Blabbermouth Jun was close enough to hear? Hell, if he wasn't smart enough to understand sarcasm, then that's his problem!"

Gold had nothing more to say, he had done his job. If he didn't annoy the piss out of green, then who would? At that moment, Crystal appeared. She wasn't far from Green on temperament, at the moment.

"Well, boys, you are looking at Silver's first victim, so they say." Crystal's tone was course and laden with resentment.

"Oh Crystal, not you…" Green said sympathetically. Crystal nodded grudgingly. "Yup. More fantastic rumors. Most of the school seems to think he has it out for me."

"Just remember, Crys," Said Gold, "The next time you see him, just stop, drop and roll!"

While Crystal proceeded to beat the tar out of Gold, Green contemplated the rumors. Even though it wasn't really anyone's fault, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He had no bad blood with Silver, and Green couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy. He was always alone, always morose.

It pained him to admit it, but there was something interesting about Silver suddenly expressing signs of happiness. As if summoned, Silver walked into the hallway from the courtyard. Even though he was a ways away, Green could see that there was a smile on his face.

Green moved from his spot on the wall and turned to face his two companions, who had finished scuffling. He motioned for them two follow him down the hall as Silver exited another doorway.

"What's up?" Gold asked as they made their way towards the door.

"We're following him."

"What the fuck, why?" Crystal asked, her voice filled with dread.

"I'm going to clear this mess up." Green said. Gold, who was now excited, readily asked; "How are we gonna do that?"

"The plan is simple. We figure out why he started smiling."

Green was determined to figure this guy out.

* * *

Silver found his way to his locker, smiling as he did so. He just felt so uplifted when he thought about Kotone. He mentally doted on her as he brainlessly removed his textbooks from his locker.

After spending time with her every day after school, he felt like a new person. Not that he would ever tell anyone. She was so bright and cheery, yet she was never overbearing. The sound of her voice had become like a lullaby for him, soft and gentle, yet energetic and whimsical. And she was so beautiful…

Silver seemed to snap back into reality again. These feelings for her were guilty pleasures to him, as well and unexplored and possibly treacherous.

Closing his locker, Silver ceased his daydream, (For now), and made his way out of the locker bay. He didn't even notice when his PokéGear slid out of his back pocket and clattered onto the tile floor.

* * *

The threesome made their way into the locker bay just in time to see Silver leaving.

"Damn. He's leaving." Green said in discouragement. Crystal still wasn't comfortable with this idea of following Silver around. "Can we go home now?"

"Eh, don't be such a baby." Gold teased. As he turned his head to face Silver's fleeting shape, he noticed something fall out of his pocket.

Gold leapt up as soon as Silver was out the door and grabbed the fallen item. "PokéGear, sweet!"

Green and Crystal followed suit as Gold began to scan through the cell. He went past Silver's settings and straight into the contacts.

"He only has two contacts…"

Green was itching to find out who they were. "Click on 'em Click on'em!"

"Fine! Fine!"

They examined the first one. This contact he not been very active in the past three months, and the three identified it as Silver's father.

"Who calls their dad, 'father' anymore?"

"Who cares? Just look at the next one!"

"Ok!" Gold shouted.

The last contact was new, and had been very active in the past week. "Who is it?" Crystal asked eagerly.

A small blush started forming on Gold's face. With a sly smirk, he said, "It's a girl."

Green was very interested at this point. "Do we know her?"

Gold shrugged. "I sure don't. Her name is Kotone. Ring any bells, Crystal?" Crystal thought for a moment trying to recall and name or a face. After a while she gave up. "I don't know her. Which is odd, because I should…"

"Maybe she's from out of the district?" Green suggested.

"Maybe"

Gold was going through Silver's photos now, and was confused to only find one. "Man, what is with this guy?" He selected the single photo and proceeded to gawk when he saw it. It was a picture of a young teen with soft brown eyes and long hair that was done up into small pigtails. She was smiling at the camera.

Crystal peered over Green's shoulder to get a better look at the screen. "Do you think that's her?"

"Probably," said Green, "It might be his sister or something, though."

Gold disagreed. "Nah, that's her. Silver's an only." Gold continued to drool over the photo. At an instant, the whole ordeal made him burst out laughing.

"Oh man, I knew Silver was big and bad, but I NEVER would have guessed that he was a lady-killer!"

_"I'll be killing SOMETHING."_

The threesome froze as a dangerous voice resonated from behind them. They turned around to find themselves face-to-face with Silver Mason. And he was NOT pleased.

**I just randomly wrote this in the middle of the night, so I will say sorry in advance for any crack that might have slipped through. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, if possible!**


	6. Settling The Score

_After exiting the courtyard of the school, Silver began to lose himself in his infatuation with Kotone once more. _

_ He would do this whenever possible, and, (with someone whom he secretly adored so much), he found it simple to disregard all other priorities for more intimate pursuits. The boy would never admit it to anyone, but he would ponder and stress over his next meeting with Kotone constantly. _

_He conjured up scenarios and outcomes to all of their future conversations, sometimes positive, and those left him in high spirits. _

_Occasionally, he would even act out dialogue that he planned to use on Kotone, but these attempts usually failed, and Silver would scold himself for, "Allowing a woman to poison his mind", and dismissed himself as moronic. _

_Before he even knew it, however, Silver would slip right back into his newfound guilty pleasure and pastime. _

_Silver had engulfed himself into this divine state of mind once again as he practically floated down the sidewalk, going over his 'lines' in his mind that he would never get around to using. _

_The anticipation was eating away at him, and he felt like he wanted to see her face right away. Without haste, he reached into his back pants pocket for his PokéGear. . ._

* * *

Silver stalked closer towards the trio of hooligans, as they attempted to discover an excuse that might appease the red-haired, scared menace.

Crystal and Gold were in a panic as Silver narrowed in on his prey, his eyes burning with anger. Green was concerned, but collected as the displeased owner of the pokegear closed the gap between them.

Gold spastically tossed the gear at Green and scurried behind him. Crystal followed suit with expedited will.

They cringed as Silver stared into them, growling lowly. To their surprise and relief, he did not attack, but rather violently, he snatched the gear from Green's outstretched palm and stormed out of the hall.

A few seconds passed before Gold spoke once more. "Well, that was anti-climactic."

* * *

Silver stomped down the street testily. Had he not promised Kotone that he would meet her at her home again today, he would have rung the necks of those three miscreants. What right do they have to be going through someone else's PokéGear?

To make matters worse, they had seen Kotone's picture. Visions of the hooligans prancing and gossiping clouded Silver's mind as he hurried to his destination. What was he to do if people at school begin to question his personal relationships?

He had convinced himself long ago that he was content with being lonesome. After all, it was safer that way.

He brought his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a small, golden locket that was tied around his neck. It was scratched and scared, beyond repair. The outer surface was faded and slightly grimy from constantly being handled. It wasn't much to look at, but it was his.

Silver turned the tiny latch with his index finger, opening the locket. It revealed a perfectly preserved photograph of a woman carrying a swaddled baby.

Silver examined the photo carefully as he had done countless times before, as though he were afraid that it would change the next time he gazed upon it.

Nope, it was the same. The same bright, cheerful woman, the same serene, peaceful eyes and glossy ebony hair… yes, it was very much the same.

He closed the locket and observed the outside casing. The once uplifting, intricate designs have long since lost their luster. Silver smiled, but it was a defeated smile. "We're birds of a feather, you and I." He mumbled. Truly, like the locket it was best for him to keep to himself, and away from father damage.

No one bothered him, for he was feared, ruthless. He could see the terror in the eyes of those who dared to make him cross.

What would be made of him now that his secret was out? A laughing stock? Silver continued down the street, without much interest in how he got to Kotone, only that he should soon reach her.

Silver passed the Goldenrod Magnet train station and quickened his pace under the railway. It was late evening and the station would have less people around, (not that many would have spent much time under the actual rails). They towered over him like great concrete monuments, blocking out the sun with their girth.

He thought that he was alone until he heard the rustling of clutter from his right side. Shifting his eyes, he noticed a figure approaching him from the shadows.

He recognized it as that of a man, one that he knew, in fact. Silver met a pair of green eyes and snarled. It was the blonde assailant that Silver pounded into dust.

"You..." growled the scared thug in a vengeful tone, "you'll pay for what you did you little shit."

Silver made no attempt to even show that he was intimidated. He only bothered to lift an eyebrow and shift his weight on his feet.

After a time he smirked. "What, are you back for more?" Silver suddenly frowned. "Do you want your guts torn out?"

"Oh no," Said the man, "I'm just here to return a favor". His tone of voice sounded somewhat hysterical, as though he was eagerly anticipating something.

Despite this man obviously having a trick up his sleeve, Silver continued to raise himself above the troublesome foe. In a tone of false glee, Silver exclaimed, "Oh good! So you've come here to apologize for your actions?" Silver grinned. "I'll tell you what. Admit how much of a weakling you are for picking on a helpless girl, and I'll forgive you. I'll even let you live!"

The gangster was steaming, but he made no attempt to move from the shadows. As though by design, the lighting helped to hide the still apparent injuries from his encounter with Silver.

The man lifted his right hand and snapped his fingers once. Silver soon heard noise on all sides of him now, as the signal gave rise to an entire ensemble of foul-intentioned, malicious hoodlums. They surrounded Silver, fondling their weapons that threatened to tear the boy open.

The green-eyed leader smiled dangerously, and with another snap of his fingers, the gang charged forward and closed in on the startled teen.

* * *

There was an eerie silence on Kotone's street. Afternoon had given way to twilight as she peered out of her front window, searching for any sign of Silver's arrival. But despite her watchful eyes, no movement could be detected anywhere.

"He said he would be here by now…" Kotone spoke aimlessly.

Silver had always been quite punctual for all of their meetings. He got there on time; mere moments after her mother had departed, chatted the hours away, and left before her mother returned. This was his craft.

It wasn't like him to be on hour late, however. This made Kotone curious. Curiosity lead to worry, worry slipped into paranoia, and now, (with no messages from him), paranoia gave way to panic.

Kotone paced in her living room, trying to calm her nerves. _What could have happened to him?_ She questioned. _Maybe he couldn't come, or…_ Kotone froze. _Maybe he didn't want to come…_

As quick as a wink, she banished these thoughts to the back of her mind. Surely, Silver would NEVER do something like that! Kotone had faith in her friend, and that he would always keep his promises.

_Right?_

Kotone peered outside her window once again, but was startled when she heard the door click open. She was elated. "Silv-"

But it was not Silver. Instead, her greeting was met by her mother, who had just returned from her evening run. She frowned. "Is something the matter? You look pale Kotone."

"Oh… no, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Her mother reached out and felt her forehead.

Kotone swiftly wiggled out of her mother's grasp. She disliked it when her mother touched her, seeing as how she was always babied.

Ignoring her mother's displeasure, Kotone went to her room in silence. After closing her door, she made her way to her bedroom window and signed. Leaning on the still, she exhaled once more.

Without a trace of Silver all day, Kotone's spirit crashed. She craved his company, his voice, his gentle touch… Before she had even realized what she had with him, he had become her only companion.

She closed her eyes tightly as negative thoughts clouded her mind.

_Silver, where are you?_


End file.
